Thursday, May 19, 2005
Step right up folks. Come and get it....
WORTH REPEATINGAnother Conservative MP, Gurmant Grewal, has come forward with allegations concerning Liberal attempts to buy opposition votes for the budget this Thursday. He has taped evidence to support his claims.
The government response:
"This is not what happened," Scott Reid, Martin's director of communications, told the news agency.
"[Grewal] asked for a post and was told no."
Question: Are we to believe all these 'talks' about vote switching are being initiated solely by Conservative MPs just itching for a chance to beg for a payoff?
Or is it more likely that all these 'discussions' are happening because a certain party holding on to the reigns of power are throwing around certain offers like a showman would at the county fair? "Step right up, folks, step right up......."
If you still don't get it, just remember which party has its grip on the public purse, and which party has been shameless in throwing around what's inside it like it was candy to a bunch of starving kids.
And if you still don't get it, it's the Liberals, ok? It's the Liberals who are making sweet offers to everyone in sight in a desperate attempt to cling on to power for a few more months. Why should anybody believe they're stopping at vote buying in Parliament?
UPDATE (12:52am): Andrew Coyne, Paul Wells, and Warren Kinsella (of all people) are all focusing in on evidence on the tape which very strongly suggests the Liberals are the ones making the offer, contrary to what they are now telling us in public. Apparently, more taped evidence is on its way tomorrow. Pass the popcorn.
UPDATE (1:14am): It's come to the point where these Liberals have no shame in telling us things which are patently at odds with what common sense people see as the truth.
Harper criticizes the NDP budget deal? Martin says Harper was in favour of it, despite the fact that was before the deal. Duh. Belinda sticks it to the Conservatives? Anne McLellan says the Conservatives are sexist for being mad as heck at the "dipstick", forgetting her own sexist comments in the process. MPs make allegations of vote buying with taped evidence in support of such? Liberals say, "Hey, it's them who approached us, not the other way around."
Yeah, right.
UPDATE(7:45am): Based on what I have heard from the tape, there is no way one can square its contents with the above statement by Scott Reid claiming they said no to Gurmant Grewal. An offer was clearly suggested contingent upon Grewal's actions when voting time came on the floor of the House of Commons. This is not "no". It's a "yes", with a nudge, nudge, wink, wink, and "we'll talk as long as you walk" during the vote, so to speak.
more....
